Minnesota Design: Tracing Architect and Designer Ralph Rapson’s Reign

For over five decades, the Modernist architect was the driving force for design in Minnesota.

For its March 2018 issue, Metropolis Magazine explored the three great North American design regions: The Pacific Northwest, North Carolina, and Minnesota. We looked at each area’s deep historic connections to architecture and design, as well as the contemporary practices thriving there today. Stay tuned to our homepage as March issue articles such as this one go online; you can also find the latest updates here.

Ralph Rapson was not a native Minnesotan—he was born in Michigan in 1914—yet it is hard to find another individual who has had as far-reaching an influence on the state’s design culture. A nationally respected architect with international projects under his belt by midcentury, he turned down the directorship of the Institute of Design in Chicago and moved to Minneapolis to head the University of Minnesota’s School of Architecture from 1954 to 1984.

Outside the classroom, he shaped the cityscapes of Minneapolis and St. Paul through his buildings and as an adviser to various municipal agencies. Furniture was a lifelong passion—at age 93 he entered a furniture design competition and won. When he passed away in 2008, he was among the world’s oldest practicing architects.

PRODUCTS
Among Rapson’s earliest furniture designs was a rocking chair that he submitted in 1941 to MoMA’s “Organic Design in Home Furnishings” competition. He had a long collaboration with Knoll, and in 1950 he founded a store for Modern design in Boston called Rapson-Inc. The products he designed are still available today. Seen here: The Rapson Thirty-Nine Lounge from furniture manufacturer Leland’s Thirty-Nine collection, a re-issue of Rapson designs.

Courtesy Leland

PRODUCTS
Among Rapson’s earliest furniture designs was a rocking chair that he submitted in 1941 to MoMA’s “Organic Design in Home Furnishings” competition. He had a long collaboration with Knoll, and in 1950 he founded a store for Modern design in Boston called Rapson-Inc. The products he designed are still available today. Seen here: The Rapson Thirty-Nine Lounge from furniture manufacturer Leland’s Thirty-Nine collection, a re-issue of Rapson designs.

PRODUCTS: Knoll
Florence Knoll and Rapson were peers at Cranbrook, and it was at her instigation that Knoll introduced the Rapson Line in 1945. Through Hans Knoll, Rapson also received commissions from the Foreign Buildings Operations program. Seen here: The Rapson Greenbelt Rocker.

Courtesy Knoll

PRODUCTS: Knoll
Florence Knoll and Rapson were peers at Cranbrook, and it was at her instigation that Knoll introduced the Rapson Line in 1945. Through Hans Knoll, Rapson also received commissions from the Foreign Buildings Operations program. Seen here: The Rapson Greenbelt Rocker.

PRODUCTS: Leland
“The solutions that Ralph had for the furniture were all very practical,” says designer Bruce Sienkowski, who worked on Leland’s Thirty-Nine collection of Rapson seating, released in 2016. “There was no embellishment of highly expensive materials or anything that required a trained craftsman to execute at a high cost.” Seen here: The Rapson Thirty-Nine Bench.

Courtesy Leland

PRODUCTS: Leland
“The solutions that Ralph had for the furniture were all very practical,” says designer Bruce Sienkowski, who worked on Leland’s Thirty-Nine collection of Rapson seating, released in 2016. “There was no embellishment of highly expensive materials or anything that required a trained craftsman to execute at a high cost.” Seen here: The Rapson Thirty-Nine Bench.

PRODUCTS: Loll Designs
In 2012, the Minneapolis-based manufacturer introduced some Rapson designs adapted for outdoor use. Thomas Rapson, the architect’s son and a principal at Rapson Architects, said at the time of the launch, “They hold to his belief that good design must evolve and incorporate new materials.” Seen here: The Rapson Modern Birdhouse.

Courtesy Loll

PRODUCTS: Loll Designs
In 2012, the Minneapolis-based manufacturer introduced some Rapson designs adapted for outdoor use. Thomas Rapson, the architect’s son and a principal at Rapson Architects, said at the time of the launch, “They hold to his belief that good design must evolve and incorporate new materials.” Seen here: The Rapson Modern Birdhouse.

PRODUCTS: Blu Dot
Among the 100 or so entries that Blu Dot received for a 2007 furniture design competition was one by the 93-year-old Rapson. “Of course, I knew who Ralph was,” says Blu Dot cofounder John Christakos. “It was the strongest entry.” The lounge chair seen here was produced as a limited-edition piece.

Courtesy Blu Dot

PRODUCTS: Blu Dot
Among the 100 or so entries that Blu Dot received for a 2007 furniture design competition was one by the 93-year-old Rapson. “Of course, I knew who Ralph was,” says Blu Dot cofounder John Christakos. “It was the strongest entry.” The lounge chair seen here was produced as a limited-edition piece.

ARCHITECTURE
Rapson studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and his first job was at Saarinen and Saarinen, so he remained dedicated to the midcentury Modernist style. Despite having had an arm amputated at birth, he was a skilled and renowned draftsman. Seen here: The Glass Cube (1974), a family retreat in Wisconsin designed by Rapson.

Courtesy Rapson Architects

ARCHITECTURE
Rapson studied at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and his first job was at Saarinen and Saarinen, so he remained dedicated to the midcentury Modernist style. Despite having had an arm amputated at birth, he was a skilled and renowned draftsman. Seen here: The Glass Cube (1974), a family retreat in Wisconsin designed by Rapson.

ARCHITECTURE: Tyrone Guthrie Theatre (1963)
This building was born of the tempestuous relationship between Sir Tyrone Guthrie and Rapson, and was based on an auditorium design the architect was creating for the Walker Art Center. Lauded for its innovation, it was nonetheless demolished within Rapson’s lifetime.

Courtesy Rapson Architects

ARCHITECTURE: Tyrone Guthrie Theatre (1963)
This building was born of the tempestuous relationship between Sir Tyrone Guthrie and Rapson, and was based on an auditorium design the architect was creating for the Walker Art Center. Lauded for its innovation, it was nonetheless demolished within Rapson’s lifetime.

ARCHITECTURE: Case Study House #4/Greenbelt House (1945)
Alongside the likes of Charles Eames and Pierre Koenig, Rapson created a design for the famous Case Study House program, but a client couldn’t be found at the time. The design was revived for a museum show in 1989 and is now available as a prefab home from Wieler.

Courtesy Rapson Architects

ARCHITECTURE: Case Study House #4/Greenbelt House (1945)
Alongside the likes of Charles Eames and Pierre Koenig, Rapson created a design for the famous Case Study House program, but a client couldn’t be found at the time. The design was revived for a museum show in 1989 and is now available as a prefab home from Wieler.

ARCHITECTURE: University of Minnesota (1954–1984)
The university’s College of Design is now housed in Ralph Rapson Hall, named in recognition of the school’s long-serving head. During his tenure Rapson shepherded many new initiatives, and his former students include leading architects and educators.

Courtesy Todd Wardrope

ARCHITECTURE: University of Minnesota (1954–1984)
The university’s College of Design is now housed in Ralph Rapson Hall, named in recognition of the school’s long-serving head. During his tenure Rapson shepherded many new initiatives, and his former students include leading architects and educators.

ARCHITECTURE: Snow Kreilich Architects
Both principals of the firm, which won this year’s AIA Firm Award, have connections to Rapson’s legacy. Julie Snow received the Ralph Rapson Award for Distinguished Teaching for her work at the University of Minnesota, while Matthew Kreilich was a recipient of the Ralph Rapson Traveling Study Fellowship, which has been awarded to young graduates and practitioners since 1989. (Stay tuned for our profile of Snow Kreilich Architects, which is coming online soon!)

Courtesy Cameron Wittig

ARCHITECTURE: Snow Kreilich Architects
Both principals of the firm, which won this year’s AIA Firm Award, have connections to Rapson’s legacy. Julie Snow received the Ralph Rapson Award for Distinguished Teaching for her work at the University of Minnesota, while Matthew Kreilich was a recipient of the Ralph Rapson Traveling Study Fellowship, which has been awarded to young graduates and practitioners since 1989. (Stay tuned for our profile of Snow Kreilich Architects, which is coming online soon!)

TEACHING
A career-long educator, Rapson taught at the Institute of Design in Chicago and MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and then spent 30 years at the University of Minnesota. He won the AIA/ASCA Topaz Medallion for Architectural Education in 1987.

Courtesy Rapson Architects

TEACHING
A career-long educator, Rapson taught at the Institute of Design in Chicago and MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and then spent 30 years at the University of Minnesota. He won the AIA/ASCA Topaz Medallion for Architectural Education in 1987.

URBANISM
Rapson was appointed to Minneapolis’s City Planning Commission in 1956 and helped organize the Committee on the Urban Environment in 1968. The group performed a number of functions, including landmarks preservation. Rapson’s influence on the Twin Cities ran deep, but he was often engaged by other American cities for committees and juries on important urban projects. For example, he was invited by San Francisco then-mayor Dianne Feinstein to serve on the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, which he did between 1982 and 1990. Seen here: Minneapolis.

Courtesy Bobak Ha'Eri/Wikimedia

URBANISM
Rapson was appointed to Minneapolis’s City Planning Commission in 1956 and helped organize the Committee on the Urban Environment in 1968. The group performed a number of functions, including landmarks preservation. Rapson’s influence on the Twin Cities ran deep, but he was often engaged by other American cities for committees and juries on important urban projects. For example, he was invited by San Francisco then-mayor Dianne Feinstein to serve on the city’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority, which he did between 1982 and 1990. Seen here: Minneapolis.

URBANISM: Jury for Boston City Hall
Rapson and Walter Netsch were the two champions of Brutalism on the seven-member jury appointed in 1962 to select a design for Boston City Hall, and they were strong advocates for the winning entry by Kallmann McKinnell & Knowles.

Courtesy Creative Commons

URBANISM: Jury for Boston City Hall
Rapson and Walter Netsch were the two champions of Brutalism on the seven-member jury appointed in 1962 to select a design for Boston City Hall, and they were strong advocates for the winning entry by Kallmann McKinnell & Knowles.